Luxe Logo on a Custom Bicycle Saddle

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. The photo of the ultra-luxe Louis Vuitton custom bicycle saddle (above) was forwarded by a friend at the bike-fitting studio Signature Cycles in Manhattan. When a customer put in a special request for a Louis Vuitton saddle as a surprise addition to an order for a custom Serotta bicycle, Signature called upon Mike Peel of Busyman Bicycles of Melourne, Australia. The leather crafter extraordinaire, who specializes in bespoke saddles and bar tape, took apart an LV tote bag purchased at retail. After cutting out the pieces to cover a Selle Italia Diva saddle, Busyman used the left-over material, leather and trim to create an elegant matching saddle bag and bar tape.

It’s a pricey but not entirely impractical choice for a bicycle saddle, considering the durability of vintage Louis Vuitton steamer trunks and luggage. And it turns out the owner of this saddle isn’t the only one who’s sitting pretty: Shortly after receiving the bicycle photos, I was surprised to encounter the same treatment on the seat of a Vespa parked outside the New School in Greenwich Village.